


The Calm Before the Storm

by lady_meatball



Series: A December to Remember [12]
Category: American (US) Actor RPF, Chris Evans (Actor) RPF
Genre: Domestic!Evans, F/M, Fluff and Humor, K C & the Sunshine Band, K&C, Night before getting married, pre-wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 16:25:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11535999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_meatball/pseuds/lady_meatball
Summary: The last two days before New Year’s Eve 2016 for Chris and Katie, with Scott in tow. The boys slip off for a mini ‘bachelor party’ with Tyler, and Katie gets her hair and nails done before they head to Caesar’s Palace to check in and prepare for the next day’s activities.





	The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings- Mentions of oncoming anxiety attack, early on in an anxiety attack, discussion of financial distress, drunken shenanigans

  


 

##  **_Final installment of ‘A December to Remember’_ **

  


[Originally posted by starydraws](https://tmblr.co/ZBAAMe2LquGOj)

The drone of an incoming flight woke me from the deep sleep I had been enjoying with a start. 

Groaning, I rolled over, turning into Chris…only, he wasn’t there. 

Cracking an eye open, I confirmed the fact I was alone in the dark bedroom before pushing up to my elbows, blearily looking back over my shoulder to check one last time for Chris.

I made my way out of bed, stretching and yawning as I groped for the clothes that got thrown around the room the night before when he literally threw me over his shoulder and stomped back to my bedroom for another round of lovemaking.

After two failed attempts at pulling on my leggings, I fumbled with the light on my nightstand and finished getting dressed, pulling on one of my worn, ancient sweatshirts I had rediscovered in my organizing and packing as I opened the door and walked out into the hall, hearing the television was on the news, and something was happening in the kitchen…

Rubbing my eyes as I entered the kitchen, Scott called his greeting around a mouthful of food; still in the process of waking up, I waved in his direction and found Chris standing at the counter, checking his phone while reaching into the cabinet for a paper plate. He looked away from the screen at Scott’s hello, and smiled over at me.

“Hey…morning, baby.” He asked, eyes alight with mischief, knowing perfectly well I had been out for the count after he was done with me. “ How’d you sleep?“

I closed in on him, pushing my arms around his waist while burying my face into his neck as he chuckled, closing his arms around me and placing a kiss to the top of my head.

“That good, huh?” He asked softly while rubbing his hand over my back; I acknowledged him with a grunt, hugging him tighter. “Want coffee?”

“I rolled over to snuggle into you ‘cause I was cold and _you weren’t there_ …-” I asked with a whine, “- _why_ weren’t you in bed, it’s so early…?”

He just chuckled, telling me, “Kay, it’s quarter after eleven…”

“ _Nooo…_ ” I said, disbelieving him until I leaned back, looking up at him and asking, “ _Really?_ ”

Chris nodded, “Yeah, I let you sleep in while Scott and I took your car to grab something to eat. We just got back a few minutes ago…”

“Food?” I breathed, looking around him to the counter; a box from Dunkin’ sat on top of two of the burners on the stove, and next to that was another box from Einstein Bros. Bagels, two tubs of cream cheese and a travel tray with two large glasses of orange juice that hadn’t been touched yet. Looking up from the spread in front of me, I turned back to face Chris, whispering, “ _I fucking love you…_ ”

His face spread into an amused grin as he leaned forward, kissing me quickly.

“ _I love you too_ …so much in fact, I got you…” He told me while reaching for the box from the bagel shop, lifting the lid to grab a smaller, thin box to stuff into my hands.

Peeking into the little cellophane window, I smiled at the sight I found.

“Lox for my love…just make sure you brush your teeth really good, ‘kay? ‘Cause salmon, red onions and capers don’t make for very pleasant kisses…”

I stuck my tongue out at him, scrunching my face up too as I popped the lid open on my bagel plate, lifting one half to my mouth for a big bite.

“ _Like that’d stop you…_ ” I joked as I chewed, “I love you. Grab a cup of coffee for me?”

He agreed, leaning in to kiss my forehead with a pat of his hand to my ass, telling me to go join Scott on the couch.

“We should go do something today.” Scott announced a little while later, after coffee had been consumed and breakfast had been scarfed down; we had resumed our same positions on the couch, Scott and I book ending Chris in the middle, with my legs hooked over his and my head on his shoulder.

“Like what?” I asked, lifting my head to get a better look at Scott.

Chris turned to look at his brother, hitting the back of his hand to Scott’s leg softly, telling him, “Dude, we can’t keep going out…somebody’s gonna spot us and then the whole thing will be blown!”

“No…what if-” I spoke up, offering, “-what if we _didn’t_ do the usual ‘touristy shit’ on the Strip? What if we did something _away_ from people?” Chris raised an eyebrow in question of what I was suggesting, so I went on to explain as I sat up, “I mean, there’s Red Rock-” I stated, pointing in the direction of the mountains that made up the western barrier of Las Vegas’ general area, “-or the Grand Canyon-” I pointed towards the front door, “-that’s about two and a half hours away to the southeast, or there’s Zion, that’s about two and half hours northwest…-” I lifted my hand to point over my shoulder, adding, “-the only thing is…if you want to go to Zion, we’d have to stop in to see my sister, because if she found out I drove through St. George and didn’t see her, she’d kill me.”

“I like that idea. The day trip to a National Park idea, _not_ the having to stop and let more people know we’re here which might lead to them figuring out _WHY_ we’re here part…” Chris said, nodding at me before we both looked to Scott. “What do ya say? That appeal to you, bro?”

“It’s closer, right?” Scott asked, pointing at the sliding glass that led out onto my covered porch and the view of the mountains of Red Rock in the distance.

“Yeah, maybe _thirty minutes_ away…just have to drive across town to get to the mountains.” I shrugged.

“Sounds good to me.”

[Originally posted by fuzzyghost](https://tmblr.co/ZXYwBw2Gfez_E)

We didn’t get out of the apartment until almost two, which gave us about two hours inside the park after driving across town with the winter hours of operation. It wasn’t really as much time as we would have liked, to be able to get out and explore a little more of the trails around the valley, but the scenic drive and short trail offered amazing views of the valley basin as the sun set behind the range.

It was almost six by the time we rolled off the freeway back in my part of town, and not having made any decisions as to what we would want for dinner, I decided on making a stop at the grocery store once more to grab the fixings for throwing a pot roast in the crock pot on high once we got back to the apartment. I left the boys in the car, and went in for dinner, coming back out in under ten minutes.

Twenty minutes later, while standing at my sink scrubbing carrots and potatoes both Evans brothers came ambling into my tiny galley kitchen, jostling each other out of the way to get to the beer in the fridge, chatting about things I didn’t quite grasp a frame of reference for-old friends back in Boston, inside jokes they shared…while snagging bottles and moving around behind me to retrieve the bottle opener from the silverware drawer.

“What do you have planned for tomorrow, Katie?” Chris asked, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back as he held his bottle up to my lips, offering me a sip since my hands were busy.

“I was gonna go see Rita, have her pamper my hair with a good wash, deep condition, color and a trim and I was going to get my nails done…other than that, nothing. Why?”

It was his turn to sip at the long neck bottle, watching me as he swallowed and licked his lips before speaking up, saying, “Scotty and I were thinking of taking Tyler up on his offer of playing a couple rounds of golf. Would you be okay with that? Get us out of your hair-” He grinned at the irony of his choice of phrase, “-for a few hours, but I only asked because Ilara said she’d send our-” He pointed between himself and Scott, “-suits here via courier…but one of us needs to be here to sign for them. What time do you think you’ll be done with the beauty stuff?”

“Maybe 1 PM?” I told him with a shrug, asking, “When is your tee time? And I thought you didn’t want to draw more attention to yourself by going out? Hmm?”

“Tyler told me he’d set it all up and we’re not going to a course at one of the resorts. He said something about Seven Hills…? He’s gonna swing by and pick us up around 7:30, tee time is 9, allows Scott and I to get fitted for clubs and shit…” Chris explained. “So you’ll be back here and waiting for the courier?”

“Yeah.” I reassured him, stretching to peck a quick kiss to his lips, smiling as I sank back to the floor, adding, “I’ll be here…I’m expecting my dresses to be delivered tomorrow too, so…”

“ _Really?_ ” He smiled. “Do I get to see them?”

“ _Noooo…_ ” I laughed, shaking my head to reinforce that point which only made Chris whine. “Chris, this is the _one thing_ I want from a traditional wedding…I want to surprise you, and see the look on your face when you see me for the first time.”

His face told me he didn’t like me telling him ‘no’, but the playfulness exuding out of him spoke of his acceptance of respecting my wishes since this was truly the one thing I insisted on when it came to our fast approaching nuptials.

“ _Fiiiiiiiiiine._ ” He sighed dramatically, making sure to roll his eyes for emphasis before grinning down at me, “Hey, get your stuffed packed up before tomorrow afternoon…”

“Why?” I asked, picking up the stack of carrots on the narrow piece of counter top to move to the cutting board and eventually into the crock pot.

“‘Cause we’re checking in at Caesar’s tomorrow night, it’s one of the surprises I had Tyler organize for you.”

“Chris… _please_ tell me that you didn’t…”

“Book a villa?” He asked, smiling. I nodded and he leaned forward, giving me a sweet peck before going on to say, “Sorry, but _yeah, I did_ …you’re lucky, because when I first called Tyler, back over Thanksgiving…while you were in the porn shop actually, he told me there was only one ‘room’ available at the time. It was only for one night and it was that $35,000 suite they’ve got. But _somebody_ or _something_ is looking out of me, because _my preferred suite_ , the Nobu villa had a cancellation, and Tyler snatched it right up for me. We’ve got tomorrow and Saturday night in it, so if we get sick and tired of all the people, we can go spread out up in our multi room suite and enjoy the fireworks without having to deal with drunk assholes..well, you’ll just have to put up with me.”

I could feel my face fall into a pained grimace, hearing the figures he spouted off and only imagining what the new total was going to be, even with the fact he got the ‘better deal’ with the Nobu suite.

“Hey… _staaaaahp_! _Don’t_ make that face!” Chris laughed, tugging me into his body and wrapping his arms around me. “Kay…don’t start falling back on your ‘it’s too much money’ excuse, babe. You’ve made so much forward progress! If I had to, I would have spent as much as I needed to in order to treat you and spoil you, Katie. You need to understand that…it’s just money, and we’re going to spend it…both of us. This is just the first ‘trip’, of many to come…”

“You’re going to give me a heart attack or a brain aneurysm, ya know that?” I sighed, looking up at him through my eyelids. That only made he scrunch up his nose and blow me a kiss. On a whimper, I added, “ _Sooooo_ much money…”

He only chuckled, and even Scott got in on in, wedging back into the kitchen to clap his hand on my back a couple of times.

“Don’t fight it. It’ll be so much easier if you _DON’T_ fight him…he’s kind of a stubborn asshole like that…”

“ _I’ve noticed…_ ” I grumbled, earning a chuckle from both the brothers. “I promise, I’m working on it, but I’m pretty certain that I’ll be the frugal one in this marriage.”

“Oh, you most definitely will. But we’ll save the engraved badges until after we start having kids…-” Chris piped up, slipping his hands from my waist to my ass in a possessive grip, “-because I have a feeling you’ll go on shopping sprees when it’s for the babies…”

“Shut up.” I laughed, feeling a blush warm my cheeks. “I’m gonna tell you right now though, it won’t be _me_ that brings home outlandish, unnecessary crap for the kids…that’ll be all _you_ , Chris.”

* * *

Laying in Katie’s queen sized bed, Chris enjoyed being flat out on his back, with his arms bent and under his head, feeling his body relax while waiting for Katie to come to bed. He was mid yawn when she walked in, pushing the door closed behind her; rounding the mattress quickly, she stood at the side of the bed to strip down to her underwear and t-shirt before climbing into bed with him.

“What color?” He asked quietly.

“What?” She asked in confusion, her brows pinched down on her forehead as she settled under the covers, reaching to her nightstand for lotion to rub into her hands. “Chris, what are you talking about?”

“You said Rita’s putting color on your hair…what color?”

“ _Oh_ …just a tint, something similar to my natural color, but with a little more red in it…” She admitted, turning to lay on her side, smiling at him, “It’s called ‘Chocolate Cherry Cola’, makes my hair ruby red in natural sunlight…”

“Oh…” Chris sounded, “So, I get to go to bed with a redhead tomorrow night, huh?”

“Kind of…it just gives my hair more shine, keeps it super soft…I’ll only be a redhead in the sun, babe, you’ll still recognize me, I promise.”

“Good, I’d hate to show up to the chapel on Saturday and ask, ‘Who the hell is this?’” He chuckled, scooting closer to Katie. Draping his arm around her waist, he pulled her that last little bit towards him, pushing his face into hers to rub his nose against hers, adding, “I think that might kill the mood, don’t you?”

“Just a little bit…” Katie agreed, skating her right hand up Chris’ torso, coming to rest over his heart. Leaning back just a tiny bit, she asked softly, “Can you believe it? Just two more days…”

“Technically-” Chris started, “-two more _nights_. Roughly forty more hours, give or take…you getting nervous?”

Katie shook her head from side to side as she looked deep into his eyes; a soft smile lifted her cheeks as she whispered, “No. It’s so close, I can practically taste it now…it’s driving me crazy, the anxious waiting…what about you? Cold feet, Evans?”

“ _Nawwwww_ , I’m with you, actually…it’s like trying to…”

“Sleep on Christmas Eve?” Katie interrupted, and Chris agreed.

“Yeah. I’m excited…and ready! It’s just these last two pesky days…” Chris admitted and he saw Katie’s expression soften even further as she brought her hand up from his chest to touch gentle caresses over the planes of his face. Her hand passed in front of his mouth, so Chris puckered up, pushing his lips into her palm; pulling back just the tiniest amount to speak, he confessed, “I figured that since we were eloping, that I could put what would have been a chunk of the budget into making Saturday a night we’re gonna remember for the rest of our lives…are you really upset about that?”

Katie paused, hand cradling his cheek as she stared at him for a moment before admitting softly, “No. No I’m not…it’s your money, baby. You can spend it however you want, but you know me, I’m still adjusting to the fact I’m not going to be living paycheck to paycheck, and honestly, I think I’ll see the value in everything you spend for the rest of my life, Chris…that’s just a part of who I am now…and I understand that _this_ is a part of you…it’s one of the ways you communicate your love and affection, that you only mean it with the best of intentions.”

“It still frustrates you…” He pointed out, face pulling down into a frown, which Katie smoothed from his face with more soft touches. “What else? I know there’s other stuff, about _me_ , about _my job_ , about the _lifestyle_ you’re about to join me in…talk to me. I may not always ‘listen’, I’m a man…but I do try to pay attention, and I know you’ve got stuff close to the vest still that we should really talk about…”

“So serious, Chris…” Katie breathed, her eyes traveling over his face in slow, easy sweeps. “Are we really going to have a serious talk tonight? You’ve gotta get up early…”

“Yeah-” He stated with a little nod, rubbing his hand along her arm before moving to Katie’s back, “-I think we need to finally discuss why all of a sudden you’ve dug your heels in and are right back at square one with the money issue, babe. If we don’t talk about it tonight, then we have to talk about it tomorrow…and I really don’t want to do that and possibly taint our wedding day with hurt feelings.”

“ _I just…_ ” Katie heaved a colossal sigh as she retracted her hand from Chris’ neck and jaw to cover her own, scrubbing her fingers into her eye sockets before quietly asking, “Fine…what do you want to know? Here do you want me to start, Chris?”

“I _don’t_ want you to be mad, this _isn’t_ about picking a fight, or upsetting you…it’s just, you were doing _really well_ about not focusing on it…” Chris explained, trying to drive his calm, non accusatory tone home; he really was curious about what had happened to cause Katie to seemingly take two steps back for each of the ones she took towards making this less of an issue between them recently, and he needed to know before broaching another subject with her…”You were doing _really well_ , you seemed like you were enjoying the…I hate to say ‘ _perks_ ’, or ‘ _freedom_ ’ that comes with us getting married, but…”

“It’s not as easy as just _flipping a switch_ , Chris…I’ve _told you_ , I don’t know how many times…this is something I’m working on, but…” Katie spoke quietly, not quite looking directly at him, her eyes staring at something in the distance, almost lost in her mind as she tapered off.

“ _But_ …? What, Katie?”

She lifted her gaze, adjusting on the bed to shift higher and bring her face level with his before she took a deep breath, licking her lips before explaining, “ _But I don’t think you quite understand my side of it._ ”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you _didn’t_ grow up like I did, Chris. You’ve had a very different type of life, and it’s made you into the person you are…into the man I love, but I don’t think you _quite get it_ …” Katie pointed out while pushing her hands under her cheek as she watched him with a solemn expression.

“ _What_ don’t I get, Kay? Make me understand.” He asked, moving his hand from her back to push the piece of hair that had fallen out of her bun, gently brushing his thumb over her cheek once the strand was secured behind her ear. “Babe, you keep saying that I had such a _different_ upbringing from yours… _not really_ , I mean, you had a happy family, you were a happy kid…”

“You grew up _with money. I didn’t._ ”

“Kay, you make it seem like my parents were millionaires, that we lived in a mansion…Babe, that was _NOT_ the case…” Chris reassured her with a chagrined smirk, nodding his head towards the wall that separated the bedroom from the living space of the apartment, adding, “Ask Scott, he’ll vouch that we weren’t the Kennedy’s or the Rockefeller’s…Ma had four kids to feed and clothe, to worry about making ends meet with school supplies while Dad worked his ass off to keep a roof over our heads…”

“ _You’re not listening_ …”

“Kay, yes…we were _comfortable_ , but we certainly _weren’t the snobs_ you keep alluding that we were…”

“ _I never said you were ‘snobs_ ’.” Katie whispered, and Chris instantly shut up, watching her as she leveled him with a look that advertised her displeasure at his putting words in her mouth. “Are you going to let me talk? So you can understand where I’m coming from, for once and for all?”

Chris nodded, licking his lips, silently giving her the floor to talk.

“I’m going to ask you a question, and I’d really appreciate you answering me honestly, because it’s a personal question but I’ll understand if you don’t want to answer…”

“What is it?”

“Have you ever known what it’s truly like to _not_ have money, Chris? Not just, ‘ _Oh, two days until payday, I guess I have to make this $20 last_ ’ poor, but ‘ _It’s payday, and after I get bills taken care of, I’ve got $10 to last me two weeks, and that can buy me gas to get to work or a loaf of bread, a pack of cheese or a jar of peanut butter that I’ll have to stretch and hope I don’t starve_ ’ poor? Because ** _I_** have.” Katie sniffed as she asked her question, pulling her hand from under her face to dash under her eyes. “Have you had to ask yourself which bill was getting paid this month and which one is most likely to allow you a grace period for missing a payment? Because that’s been the majority of my life.”

Chris laid there, blinking at her as she explained with tears in her eyes, saying, “I’ve told you that my parents ‘had money’ when I was born, that we lived in a big house on a hill with a million dollar view…and I’ve told you that I grew up having to compromise. Well, it’s true. My parents owned a jewelry store when I was born, my father had come into money thanks to his father making some very good wise decisions with investments and hard work, which allowed my dad to follow down the path of letting his artistic side have free reign with designing jewelry. The business was good…life was good, I mean, my young life was good…I told you, I didn’t want for anything.”

“So what happened?”

“The Gulf War.” Katie laughed, but her voice and face held no humor in her admission. “Wars, economic crisis, even a hint of distress on a national or global level and people tighten their purse strings…and the first things to take a hit are the ‘luxuries’…trips to the hair salon, shopping expeditions, traveling…shiny baubles, those aren’t necessary to live, so they get pushed to a dreamy promise of ‘someday’ while you prioritize the importance of secondary needs, because let’s face it, you don’t stop going to the dentist just because a war has broken out, because you kind of need your teeth…”

Chris felt that last part of her sentence hit him square in the chest, a little kernel of guilt resting heavily there while also curling tightly around his throat, making it had to swallow what she was telling him.

Katie paused, memories from long ago passing behind her eyes as she licked her lips to moisten them before picking up, saying, “That and less expensive options from department stores becoming more readily available meant we had a few years of slowly losing our footing, eventually selling that store to downsize to a smaller store…that was when we moved to Murphys actually…and then we lost it. My dad went from having a sizable inheritance from his father’s business to owning a couple of jewelry stores to filing bankruptcy and going to school to drive semi trucks. I had just turned nine years old when we picked up and moved, yet again, from the foothills to the coast, living in my great grandmother’s single wide mobile home months after she passed away to be closer to my dad…so he wouldn’t have to commute across the state.”

Chris laid in her bed, speechless at what she was telling him, not realizing the extent of just how much she had down played and omitted from him in the last few months of casual conversation concerning this subject.

“Kay…I didn’t realize…” He started to say, but she pressed a finger to his lips, telling him to keep quiet, that she wasn’t done yet.

“I told you that we lived on the coast for nearly a decade…we lived in that mobile home for most of it, and while my parents _worked hard_ , things were _tight_ …but they made sure I went to a great school, made sure I had the things I needed, we’d do day trips as a family…but gone were the days of two trips to Disney a year, San Diego, week long trips to the coast…and that was the era of learning to budget, or figuring out which generic brands gave the best value, and getting used to hearing ‘Sorry Honey, we can’t afford…’”

“I feel like such an insensitive asshole…”

“I’ve told you _countless times_ that I can’t help but see the value in what you spend, Chris…I’ve also told you that _letting go of that_ habit…it’s such a hangup for me because for a good portion of my life, I didn’t had any money, and what little money I’ve managed to work my ass off for…that I’ve _hustled_ for…has been _MINE_. But with the little bit of pride I’ve earned thanks to my work ethic, it’s also freedom in knowing I don’t have to rely on another person, that I can take care of myself-” Katie confessed on whisper, wiping her face against her shoulder to catch what was left of the tears leaving tracks on her face, sniffling before adding, “-because you only hear ‘ _we can’t afford it_ ’ so many times before you stop asking all together.”

“Babe…I don’t know what to say…” Chris sputtered.

“I really think _this_ …me having _such_ a hard time with the money issue, especially recently, has to do with my _need_ to be self reliant, my experiences with having too much faith and trust in other people and constantly getting burned because of it…” She spouted, pausing to clear her stuffy nose, “I _don’t_ want your money, I’ve told you that time and again, Chris…and I mean it, in fact, just thinking about your net worth-” Katie pushed up from the bed, sitting up and turning to lean back against the wall, turning her face to look at him with a dazed and panicked expression attempting to pass as amusement, she added, “-it kinda _scares_ me, and sends me into a full blown panic attack, because it’s _ridiculous_! It’s _excessive_ , and I just can’t seem to fathom what made you decide to choose me to share it with…what I’ve done to warrant that…your trust…”

“Are we seriously back on the subject of you not believing you’re ‘worthy’ of me? Because, I hate to tell you-” Chris laughed out a soft, amused chuckle as he wiped his own face and sat up, mirroring Katie’s position, reaching his hand over to snag hers, locking their fingers to lift her hand to place a kiss to the back before saying, “-the _more_ you do this kind of shit…trying to push me away with these huge, almost nuclear truth bombs about yourself, you just keep reinforcing my belief that you’re ‘it’…”

Katie’s face tipped forward, and she shook her head in tiny swipes from left to right, not believing him, and it broke his heart all over again.

“Kay, I’m _sorry_ that I’ve made a bigger deal out of this than I should have…but you hadn’t told me any of this. I didn’t know, and I feel like an asshole, for giving you as much shit as I have, for telling you to _‘get over it_ ’…”

“You said it yourself…you _didn’t_ know, Chris.” Katie agreed, the corners of her mouth lifting infinitesimally.

“Katie, I’m starting to see things from your perspective now, and with everyday we’re gonna learn more and more about each other, which is honestly, _long past due_ …I’m _starting_ to understand.” Chris told her, taking his time to choose his words carefully as he navigated through the debris of what she had told him to bridge to his next point. “I don’t want you to be… _scared_ , or _anxious_ , or so _overwhelmed_ about money, or making ends meet, or _anything_ having to do with us, because I’m _right here with you_ , what we’re about to do…it’s fahking uncharted territory for the _both of us_ , but there will certainly be aspects that _you’ll_ take the lead on, and ones _I’ll_ help you steer through, like the fahking shit show that’ll commence once the news breaks about us…but we do it _together_ , okay?”

Katie watched him closely, and Chris inclined his head forward to get a better look at her, raising a brow in silent question.

“ _Okay_?” He repeated, squeezing her hand gently. “You’ve said you keep such a tight hold on your independence, that you’re so self reliant out of self preservation to not get hurt by people not living up to your expectations…well, I **_need_** you to remember that **_I’m_** _not other people_ , Katie. I’m planning on spending the rest of my fahking life asking myself how I got so lucky as to have you as my wife and mother of my kids…you have to let me in, trust me, because I’m not going to fahk you over, babe. I love you, more than anybody else…that being said, there’s something I need to talk to you about…”

Katie turned, facing her body towards Chris, asking, “Alright, what’s on your mind?”

Lifting his hand, Chris ran it over his face, smoothing his beard down as he took a couple of breaths while bolstering his courage.

“I, _uhhh_ …now that we’ve finally talked about money, and I have a better understanding of _why_ it’s been such a touchy subject… _ummm_ …” He started, but his hesitance was making him pausing and stumble with finding the best way to bring up what he needed to talk about, but Katie reached over, touching his arm with a gentle touch.

“Chris…” She whispered, making him meet her eyes and offering a small smile to reassure him, telling him, “It’s not like you to beat around the bush…what’s got you so nervous, babe?”

He folded his lips in, biting them while watching Katie closely before deciding to bite the bullet; he expelled the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in a rush as he pushed the blankets off his body, climbing out of the bed to cross over to the suitcase on the floor of Katie’s bedroom, squatting to shift around the contents. It took a moment to find what he wanted, and son Chris was headed back to the bed, resuming his spot on the mattress as he held out a manila folder to Katie.

“ _This_.” Chris stated, pointing at the folder.  Katie turned away from him to open the folder, starting at the papers in silence as she began scanning the text. It took five minutes before she looked up, showing the paperwork to Chris with a finger pointed at the top.

“This is…?”

“ _Yeah_ …” He confirmed with a nod, “The legal team thinks it’s a very good idea, and are _strongly urging_ me to have you sign that before.. _.they all think we’re just engaged, they don’t know that we’re eloping this weekend_ …”

Katie sat back against the wall, stony faced and waiting for him to explain further, which only just made him more nervous, and soon Chris’ fidgeting was getting the better of him.

“It’s pretty much par for the course, with my line of work…having a prenup, _ya know_ …as _insurance_. The legal part of my team, as you’ve gotten a glimpse of, are really great at doing their jobs, and they make sure my ass is covered no matter what…it’s just, _they’re_ insisting…”

“Chris…”

Looking up from his bashful pose with a pained expression, Chris met her gaze, questioning Katie silently as she cocked her head to the side, her hand taking his as she quietly asked, “I don’t give a _flying fuck_ what your legal team thinks and urges right now…I want to know what **_you_** think about this. Where **_you_** stand on it…”

Her question had Chris feeling the sudden urge to clear his throat and lick his lips, working up the courage to look Katie in the eye.

“It’s the _smart thing_ to do, that’s obvious…” He confessed, shifting his weight around while lifting his left hand to rub at his neck; Katie nodded, agreeing without saying anything, which prompted him to continue, rather guardedly, “But, I don’t know, I just…”

“You just… _what_?”

“I just kinda feel that if _**I** tell **you**_ this is a _hard line_ , a _necessity_ for us to get married, it’s almost like an _admission of me **not** trusting you_ …it kind of feels like a slap in the face to _you_ as well as _me_ , and most importantly, it feels like I’m _**admitting** we’re **not** gonna make it_…” Chris explained, choking up. “ _But if I don’t…_ -” He said, pointing at the papers as he cleared his throat once again, “- ** _don’t_** have you sign _that_ …”

“Baby…are you afraid that I’m gonna be angry? That I’m gonna be _offended_ by this?” Katie asked holding up the folder and papers.

Chris nodded, “ _Yeah…_ ”

“ _You big idiot_ …” Katie sighed, grabbing his wrist and pulling Chris towards her so she could kiss him. Pulling back just enough to talk, she dropped the folder to her lap and touched his face, “I’m **_not_** offended, I’m **_not_** hurt…actually, I’m kind of _relieved_.”

“Wait… _what?_ ” He sputtered, shaking his head in confusion; feeling his face pull into a frown, Chris searched Katie’s face, asking, “ _You’re relieved?_ ”

“Chris, I’ve told you time and again that ** _YOU_** are _all_ I want, **_not_** your money. _This agreement_ is the **_biggest, most real way_** for me to _prove_ that to you as well as myself and the rest of the world…and honestly, I think I know you well enough to know with surety that you wouldn’t bring me a shitty deal.” Katie told him, a weepy expression of joy spreading over her face as she smiled back at Chris, going on to explain, “You’re shrewd enough to make sure all your angles are covered and secure…to make sure your brand is bulletproof and _your_ … ** _OUR_** private lives are safe behind closed doors, but I can see this is _tearing you_ up, because you’re such a sensitive guy and your eyes give it away…”

“On one hand, I’m _scared_ that if we sign a prenup, it’s like admitting defeat _before_ we’ve _even started_ , Kay…and on the other hand, I’m _worried_ that if we _don’t_ … _God forbid we reach the point that a prenup would need to be used_ …” Chris paused, swallowing hard while rubbing a finger over his lips, “Kay, this **_isn’t_** just about covering **MY** ass… _this_ …-” Chris looked away from her to grab the papers, holding them up with a shake to emphasis what he went on to say, “-this is to _protect **you**_ _and **our kids** too_. I don’t like or even want to think about us ever needing to drag this out of the bottom of the safe or a filing cabinet, but if it should _ever come down to it_ …I _made_ the team _redraft it **three times**_ so the terms ensure _you_ and _our kids_ would be _well taken care of_ …”

“ _Shhh_ …” Katie told him, pushing a finger to Chris’ mouth. “ _I know_ …I know you well enough to **_know that_** , Chris. You _didn’t_ have to tell me, but I appreciate it… _more than you know_.”

“You’re **_really_** not upset, Kay?” Chris asked, needing to know 100% that she was okay with having the prenuptial agreement in place and wouldn’t end up resenting him for it down the line.

“ _No_ -” She reassured him with a shake of her head while pulling him back to her for another kiss, whispering once they broke apart, “-I love you more _because_ of this…but I’m not planning on ever needing to put that contract into use…promise that it’s just a _final formality_ before we take the leap? _Promise me_ that we won’t **_ever_** have to take it out of the safe or think about it once we sign it, Chris?”

“That’s the plan…” He sighed in relief, touching his forehead to Katie’s. “And I promise that I won’t keep pushing you to start spending money, it’s there for _us_ …for _our family_ , but you’ll get used to not compromising eventually and until you do…I don’t want to make you more uncomfortable.”

Chris saw the weight as it seemed to lift off her shoulders, which made his smile grow as he lifted his hands to cradle her face, kissing her soundly before pecking sweet and tender kisses to her lips as he whispered, _“I love you, so very much…I think I can’t love you any more than I do, and here you are, surprising me at each and every turn, and shining a glaring light on what I thought was love…_ ”

“Then that makes two of us, Chris…” She smiled, returning his kiss before she added, “ _I love you, Boom…_ ”

“ _I love you more, Tink._ ”

[Originally posted by stay-classsy-for-me](https://tmblr.co/ZU8GUwijGv4r)

* * *

Drifting back to the world of consciousness, a heavenly aroma was my incentive to open my eyes, and I was rewarded with the sigh of Chris smiling down at me, hair a mess and a Disney mug in each hand.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty…” Chris chuckled while setting one mug on the nightstand, handing over the other once I scrubbed my face free of sleep and sat up, groggy and still mostly ‘out of it’.

“What time is it?” I yawned, jaw cracking as I took the coffee from him.

“ _Too fahking early_ …” He grumbled, climbing back onto the bed and leaning against the wall to get comfy before reaching for his cup, telling me, “It’s just after six…Scott got coffee going, so I apologize if it’s not up to your _high standards_ …he’s getting in the shower, so I figured I’d get a few minutes with you before I get my turn in the bathroom…”

“You’re gonna _spoil me_ …I’m gonna expect coffee in bed every morning if you keep this up.” I teased while lifting my mug for the glorious first sip of java. He’d learned quickly the way I liked liked my coffee prepared, and had gotten the ratio of creamer to brew just right, but he’d been right…the coffee was just a tad on the weak side for my tastes, but not by much. Holding the mug up, I smiled, “Make sure you tell Scott I’ll keep him around if I don’t get a chance to…he only needs a smidgen of training, but I’ll make a barista of him yet!”

We snuggled up, sipping from our respective mugs while waking up. It was twenty minutes before the sound of the bathroom door opening told us Scott was finished and a matter of seconds later, the man himself knocked at the door jamb before poking his head into the room.

“Hey…morning, Kay…bathroom’s yours, bro.” Scott offered with a smile.

“Okay, thanks Scott…”

“How’d you sleep?” I called, sitting up from where I was jigsawed into Chris’ side to fold my legs into a pretzel to support my elbows.

“ _Eh…_ ” Scott sounded, shrugging one shoulder with a grimace, “Let’s just say I’m looking forward to a queen sized bed with an actual mattress for the next two nights, sis.”

“I’m sorry, I know it’s not the _most comfortable_ pull out bed…” I offered.

“It’s okay, I’ll forgive you eventually.” He joked, sending a wink in my direction.

“You should go get ready…” I said, turning back to Chris to take his mug and give him a little shove, “I’ll get something cooking, so you don’t get _**hangry**_ out on the course later…save me some warm water, please?”

“I can’t promise anything…-” Chris laughed, climbing out of bed while telling me, “-Scott probably didn’t leave _ME_ any, so looks like it’s cold showers for both of us this morning, darling.”

“ _Something the both of you could certainly use, that’s for sure…_ ” Scott interjected under his breath with a chuckle.

I could only roll my eyes as a soft laugh escaped me and Chris yelled, “Hey, shut up man!”

[Originally posted by bottle-of-bucky](https://tmblr.co/ZnMNBm299aocA)

Over the next hour and fifteen minutes, I got to enjoy a couple more cups of coffee after making a fresh pot to my liking, catching up with Scott while Chris showered and got ready before the bathroom was vacated for me to use, and eventually it was time for Tyler to make his appearance in picking up the brothers Evans for their ‘bachelor excursion’; I waved the boys off from the porch, and headed back inside once Tyler’s car was out of sight to finish getting dressed, brush my teeth and get going for my own time out of the apartment.

By the time I walked up to the front door of my friend’s salon, it was quarter to 9 AM, and she had just arrived as well, not even having had time to put her purse down after unlocking the door.

“ _Mija_! You’re early!” Rita exclaimed, rushing over to me with one arm full of folded drapes to pull me in for a hug and kiss to my cheek. “I didn’t even get to turn on all the lights yet, _why are you always doing that to me_ , huh?”

“I thought I’d be nice and bring you coffee, and help you set up…it’s the least I can do since you squeezed me in…”

Rita made a noise in the back of her throat, telling me she didn’t want to hear it before going on to say, “I didn’t squeeze you in, and _you know it_! I’m glad to do this, you know that…and besides, who else is going to pamper you the day before you go sneak off and marry a movie star? Nobody else is touching all this hair of yours except for _me_!”

“I appreciate it, Rita…I just want you to know that.” I told her with sincerity, returning her kiss with one of my own to her cheek.

“So…where’s the man of the hour?”

“Enjoying his ‘bachelor party’ on a golf course with his brother and a mutual friend of ours this morning.” I explained, handing over a venti cup of hot coffee made exactly how I knew she liked it-strong, bold and just a hint of sweet, just like her. Her raised brow questioned me, and I laughed, “I told them to bring jackets…or sweatshirts at least, but they both pounded a fist to their chests and proclaimed, ‘ _We’re from Massachusetts, we can handle your desert winter_ ’…they’re gonna freeze their nuts off when they realize the cloud cover isn’t blowing away…”

Rita’s head fell back as she cackled.

“Well, I guess that just gives you an excuse to _warm him up_ , doesn’t it, _mija_?”

It was my turn to chuckle, feeling a heat radiating off my cheeks at her insinuation.

“That’s the _last thing_ I need right now…Chris whining tonight-” I joked, deepening my voice to imitate his, “‘ _Babe, come stick your hands down my pants…help me thaw out._ ’”

“If you don’t, _I will_!” Rita shouted, giving me a shove to the shoulder before laughing as she went on to add, “He may not be my ‘type’, but from all you’ve told me about _El Capitan_ , I’d _gladly_ spent the night with him…and you’d be _loco_ to let me, Missy, because _I’d ruin him_!”

“Rita, I don’t think you understand…” I laughed, squeezing her shoulder lightly, “He fucking surprised me _ON_ Christmas…he showed up late that night at my mom’s house… _two days_ before I was expecting him! The last _five days_ has been _nothing but_ one of us trying to get in the others pants every waking moment! I’m not complaining, but… _my lady parts need a break_!”

Rita shook her head, ‘tsking’ me, and I went on to add, “Don’t make that face! _Come on_!”

“A _handsome man_ that **_wants_** to _make love to you_ , and you say you need a break… _have I taught you nothing_? _I’ve failed you, mija_!” Rita wailed, putting on the dramatics and making me roll my eyes. She chuckled softly to herself, grabbing my hand once she shifted over the pile of drapes into her other arm, leading me to her station, beginning to spout off poetic about all the ways to keep Chris happy and fulfilled in our relationship and our bed, her advice comical and very much appreciated.

[Originally posted by nailpornography](https://tmblr.co/Z1i1Hv2HL8q_u)

I sat at one of the nail stations in Rita’s salon two hours later, a towel wrapped around my head to help insulate the plastic that covered my hair as the deep conditioning treatment worked it’s magic on my tinted hair; Isobel, Rita’s younger daughter, was in the middle of shaping the acrylic that now extended my fingernails into a gentle almond shape, bringing me up to date on what was new with her after an extended trip to visit relatives in Mexico. She asked me what was new with me, and if the rumors had been true…I confirmed that Chris and I were together, knowing her mother had most likely already told her and put the fear of God into her about talking to anyone about this subject, but I left out the tiny bit of information about Chris being in Vegas and also the fact we were getting married the following afternoon, only explaining that I had plans to ring in the New Year in a special and wonderful way with close friends.

Isobel had been happy to hear that, jumping right into her own plans, and dropping the subject of Chris after asking if she might possibly get to meet him at some point, which I had said that it would be pretty much guaranteed.

I had managed to sneak out of the salon with enough time to grab lunch on my way back to the apartment, and sat down to eat my burrito bowl from Chipotle on the couch with my feet kicked up as I watched reruns of Fresh Prince on TBS, waiting for a knock on the door…Chris had said the courier was supposed to arrive between 1 PM and 3 PM, but the only knock I caught during that window of time was the FedEx man delivering the box containing my dresses from Rent the Runway. I went about getting my bags packed with what I’d need to take to the resort later that night as well as getting the last of what remained stowed away for easy transport later on, keeping my ear open for another knock, but it didn’t come…the next time I heard feet on the stairs was seconds before Chris and Scott came bursting into the apartment like drunken moose at almost 5 PM.

“Babe…”

Chris was buzzed, and Scott wasn’t far behind him from the sound of it.

“Kayyyyyyy! Where you at?”

Poking my head out of the bathroom, I raised a brow in their direction, waiting until I was seen, which took longer than it normally would have as the two idiots joked, laughed and focused on each other in my living room.

“ _Kaaaaaaay?_ Where are…oh!-” Chris shouted, turning to search the space once more, startling at finding me leaning against the frame of the bathroom door, “- _Heeeeey_ , baby…how was… _oh my Gahhhhhd_ , your hair!”

“You’re drunk.” I stated, not amused at the sight before me as he loped his way over to me, hands immediately reaching to push into my loose, straightened locks to inspect closer.

“ _Nawwwww_ , just _realllllly_ buzzed…you look like you, but… _different_. I _wike_ it…” He grinned, combing his fingers through my hair while explaining, “I’m marrying a red head…-” He whipped his head around to call back to Scott, one hand still holding my tresses tightly, tugging my head with a sudden yank as he went on saying,“-Scotty, did you ev’ah think I’d MARRY a redhead? Brunettes…love me a brunette, but now…my brunette is a redhead! _SPICY_!!!”

“You’re fucking _blitzed_ …” I laughed, carefully retracting my hair from his grip before he yanked and I fell over. “ _What the hell happened_? I thought you were just playing a few rounds of golf…?”

“We did! Then we went to a… _b’ahh_.”

“What kind of ‘…bar’?” I asked, looking at Chris, then Scott and back to Chris.

“A discreet establishment with a very… _lax dress code_ …” Chris grinned, swaying slightly as his smile beamed at me.

“How ‘ ** _lax_** ’?”

“It was a strip club.” Scott volunteered, giggling as he told me, “Tits and ass _everywhere_ …did _nothin’ for me_ , but holy shit, did one of those women have a great plastic surgeon, you couldn’t even tell where her implant scars were…”

“And **_WHOSE_** idea was it to go to the strip club at noon, the day before New Year’s Eve, _hmmm_?” I screeched, knowing that sober Chris wouldn’t have been okay with what they’d done…knowing this little shenanigan might have just blown our cover.

“Tyler’s.” Both of them admitted, just a tad too quickly, telling me they had rehearsed their story on the way back to the apartment.

I couldn’t help but glare my most menacing and intimidating glare at both Evan’s brothers, snorting in irritation at them both before rolling my eyes and throwing my arms into the air in defeat…I couldn’t change the fact that they had gone, and it was no use being ‘upset’ since if I went down that particular route, it would have been extremely hypocritical with my history involving man strippers…

“Ty said I _couldn’t_ get married without having a bachelor party…even a little one, so we played a few rounds, got hungry, and he said he knew just the place to go. We got lunch on the way…” Chris told me, but I lifted my hand, stopping him mid sentence.

“Where?” I asked Scott, seeing that he was the more sober of the two, and knew he’d spill like sieve if I stared him down long enough. “ _Which_ club did you end up going to?”

“Sapphire.”

The laugh that escaped me surprised even me.

“ _Oh_ …Sapphire. _Okay_ …” I chuckled, pulling my phone from my pocket to unlock, needing to send a text to a friend I knew that worked there, asking if she had ‘ _attended_ ’ to Chris and asking her to do me a solid by making sure any of the girls that may _have_ kept quiet before looking back up with a grin to Scott, adding, “Well, _you_ went at the wrong time…the _boys_ don’t perform until later tonight.”

“ _I know…_ ” He sighed rather dejectedly, making me laugh.

Chris stepped into my body, arms wrapping around my waist as he nuzzled his face into my cheek, asking, “Are you _maaaaaaaaad_ , babe? _Pleeeeeeease_ don’t be mad…we were just having fun…well, Ty and I were having more fun than Scotty, but still…”

“I’m not mad…how can I be mad, when the only reason we know each other is because of man strippers?” I laughed, leaning back to look at him.

Chris pressed his face back into mine, eyes wide as he attempted to whisper, but in his drunken state, his whisper came out loud enough for a deaf woman to hear him say, “ _Because_ …there were girls **grinding** **_all up on me_** …and **boobs** in _my face_! And they **_weren’t yours_**! One chick bent over in front of me, and I’m pretty sure I saw her _ **soul**_ from the angle I was looking at her…”

“ _Oh my God…_ ” I cracked up, clapping a hand over my mouth.

“ ** _Tha’ss not funny_**! I _wasn’t_ supposed to see **_everything_** …but that didn’t stop her from showing me _**EVERYTHING**_ …” He slurred with a hiss and I laughed even harder, catching Scott nod in agreement, his face blanching at the memory that seemed to flash in his mind. “You’re **nawt** mad? _I got lapd’nces and had other boobs in my face?_ ”

Getting my laughter under control, I stepped back while extending my right hand out for him to take, smiling as I said, “ _Pot_ , it’s nice to meet you, my name’s _Kettle_ … _most_ of the girls at Sapphire, _I’m cool with_ , so… **no** , I’m **not** mad. I just think it’s hilarious that you’re acting so guilty right now, especially since you know I’ve seen just about every male strip show in town, _multiple times_ and have been in _close contact_ with the guys…”

“I’m **nawwt** _happy_ ‘bout you having all those _**dongs**_ in your face, but you’re past all that now… _riiiiight_?” Chris asked, worry apparent through his buzzed haze as his brows crashed down in a frown. “ ** _Riiiiiiiight_**? You only want **_MY_ dong** bouncing in your face from now on…”

“ _Oh my…_ ” I burst out laughing as Scott stuffed his fingers in his ears and screamed the theme from The Golden Girls, which only made me lose my shit harder, collapsing against Chris.

“ _ **No more** ‘Magic Mike’! **Only**_ _‘Enchanting Evans’ and his Devil magic dick_ giving you shows!” He proclaimed.

[Originally posted by bigcaprogers](https://tmblr.co/Z-BjAh25tyS-b)

“ ** _Oh my God…_** ” I wheezed, leaning back to look up at his grinning face, telling Chris, “You’re **_fucking hilarious_** when you’re _this shitfaced_ …come on, ‘ _Enchanting Evans_ ’, time to get _you_ _**AND**_ _your bewitched penis_ sobered up. Can’t have you walking into Caesar’s Palace _screaming about your cock_ …”

“ _You **FAHKING LOOOOOOOOOVE** my **CAHHHHHK!**_ ” He shouted, and Scott and I both lost it all over again, laughing heartily as he went on, “ _Can’t get **ENOUGH**! Can’t **FAHKING** keep you **off** of it! My girl **loves** **my big, fat cahhhhhhhk…**_ ”

[Originally posted by srrgntbarnes](https://tmblr.co/ZlmQQg2DzbpKY)

A loud rapping on the front door at the exact moment Chris lifted his arm to only land a very loud and very solid slap to my ass, making me jump in surprise with a shouted yelp of alarm and my hands grabbing the stinging flesh. I tried to pry myself free of Chris’ hold, but he was octopussed around me tight, so Scott headed to the door.

“Delivery for K. Amer…Am…” The young man on the other side of the door stated, pausing on the pronunciation of my last name, starting over before giving up and reading it phonetically, like most people did, “‘Am-er-ee-oh?’”

“That’s _me_ …” I sighed, attempting to break free yet again, but Chris’ arms tightened, making me squeak as the breath rushed out of me. Turning to narrow my eyes at him, I hissed, while slapping at his hands, “ _Will you let go_? I have to sign for the delivery, _it’s not like I’m leaving forever_! So fucking clingy…”

“It’s ‘ _Uh-merry- **OH**_ ’, not _‘Am- **ER** -ee-oh_’!” Chris called in a lazy drawl, giving a great impression of a young Hermione Granger correcting annunciation of spells, that was until he added, in what I was sure he thought was a mumble to himself, but came out loud and clear, “ _But not for loooooooong…_ ”

I wasn’t aware of my hand moving until I felt the impact of it connecting with my forehead; Scott’s cackling at the shitshow this was turning out to be solicited a martyred groan from me, which in turn seemed to spurn Chris on…

“ _Yussssssss_ , I **love** it when you make that sound! There’s gonna be plenty of _**that**_ goin’ on tonight and tomorrow… _Hey, man_!” He boasted, looking up and finally recognizing another person that hadn’t been there earlier, framed in the front door while holding two garment bags in a state of confused shock at what the hell was going on in front of him; Chris finally let go of his hold around my waist, lifting his right arm to point at my head while shouting to the newcomer, “ _You see this beautiful girl right here?_ She’s _**my** baby_ , and she’s gonna get the **_sex of her life_** tomorrow, because she can’t _**FAHHHKIN’**_ get enough of _my big, fat, New England bred magic cahk_! _She’s gonna **fahking get it** for the **rest** of her **LIFE**!_ ”

[Originally posted by waititi](https://tmblr.co/Zw64Wy1czhtxP)

“ _Kill me now…_ ” I groaned.

“Are you kidding? This is _just_ getting good…” Scott laughed, holding his phone up to record Chris in this state for future blackmail leverage.

“ _Ummm_ …can I just get a signature for the packages?” The younger man asked, visibly uncomfortable as he stood in the doorway, pointing at the garment bags he held aloft.

Trying one more time to step out of Chris’ hold, I slammed back into his body, frustrated and growling low in my chest as I looked over my shoulder and found him giggling like a schoolgirl; turning back to the courier, I waved the deliver guy inside since me making it to him was out of the question…I signed for delivery and he was gone in a flash, having practically thrown the bags at Scott and bolted out of my apartment.

“ _Well…_ -” I sighed in defeat once again, looking at Scott with a blank expression as Chris continued to giggle against my face, his hands slipping down over my hips to push under the hem of my sweater and t-shirt before skating up my torso to zero in on my breasts from his position behind me; Scott tried to keep a straight face, bless him, but he cracked and snorted a laugh when Chris’ hands closed around my flesh and he let a giggled ‘ _honk-honk_ ’ out as he squeezed my tits, prompting me to ask, “-life _certainly won’t be boring_ as an Evans, _will it_?”

Scott bent over at the waist, laughing his ass off.

“ _Noooooooo…_ ” My soon to be brother-in-law keened, wiping his eyes, “You two are going to be the best entertainment, **_holy shit…_** ”

“ _Come on…_ ” I sighed, patting Chris’ hip, “Let’s get you packed up, and more importantly, sobered up enough to take out in public.”

“I’m _goooooood_ , but if you want to get me alone to have your way with me…I’m game.” He informed me, lowering his voice to add, “I’ll _fahhking **rock** your world…”_

I rolled my eyes, and caught Scott laughing as he had turned away to drape the garment bags over the arm of couch.

“ _Put a sock in it,_ Evans…” I warned, finding him amusing even in my irritated state, “ _Yes_ , it’s an established fact, I’m _hooked_ on your _devil magic dick_ …it’s _good_ , _**quality dick,**_ but I’m **not** babysitting your whiskey dick tonight. _In case you’ve forgotten_ , we’re getting married in roughly twenty-four hours…and I’m not gonna have you be hungover, surly and miserable on our wedding day, so **_stop grinding your semi-chub into my ass_** and go pound about a gallon of water while I pack your bag. **_NOW._** ”

He froze, silent for the span of ten seconds before he snorted out a sound of amusement resembling a dying moose, giving my waist a squeeze as he exclaimed, “You _scare_ me sometimes…but it’s a **_sexy scared_**.”

“And _sometimes_ I wanna do my best impression of Homer Simpson throttling Bart with you, but I’d miss you too much if I knocked you off… _now go_!” I countered, turning to level him with a steely glare, but when I finished turning, I couldn’t contain the bark of laughter that escaped me at finding Chris pouting with sad puppy dog eyes and his full bottom lip stuck out but my laughter set him off, breaking his expression and making him lose himself to a fit of giggles as he rocked back on his heels, acting like a complete doofus with his fists covering his mouth.

[Originally posted by xopsychogirlxo](https://tmblr.co/Z9TeWf2NBrJPD)

“Can I have a kiss? Then I’ll drink as much water as you want…” He snickered after a moment. “ _Fahhhhhk_ , I love it when you laugh…”

“You’re ridiculous, _you know that, right?_ ” I asked rhetorically, my face breaking into a wide smile when he nodded ‘yes’ and puckered up for me to kiss him. Standing on tiptoes, I pecked his lips four times in quick succession, unable to stop myself from stopping at only one before whispering, with a firm pat to his ass, “You’re **hilarious** when you’re _this_ drunk…but you need to get it out of your system tonight, because I plan on enjoying tomorrow. Sober up, and _maybe_ I’ll play with your ding-dong later tonight, _okay_?”

“ _Deal_ …I love you.”

[Originally posted by xopsychogirlxo](https://tmblr.co/Z9TeWf2NJoHmR)

“I love you too, Boomer.”

“I _hate_ that fahking nickname…” Chris grumbled.

“No, you don’t…” I laughed, brushing my fingers over his face, smoothing his beard down.

“ _Yeah_ …I know why he calls you ‘Tinkerbell’, but…why do you call him ‘Boomer’, Kay?” Scott asked, walking in from the living room to clap his hand to my shoulder.

Biting my lips, I attempted to keep my giggles stifled, but failed as I saw Chris’ face fall into a frown at the memory.

“When we left your mom’s house after Thanksgiving…” I explained on a sigh as I turned to smirk at Scott, “Your brother…he took care of me when I wasn’t feeling too hot on Saturday, and when we woke up on Sunday, he, _uh_ ….he caught the super-flu from me and spent the morning in the bathroom…”

“Yeah, I remember him being sick…he’s **_never_** sick…”

“ _Well_ …before he made a mad dash to occupy the bathroom in the hotel room, he pretty much farted on me in his sleep…”

“ _Oh my Gahhd_ …you **didn’t** …”

Chris nodded, confirming it was true.

“ _Chris_! You **farted** on her? And she’s **still** gonna marry you?” Scott asked incredulously before looking to me and saying, “You’re an angel, Kay…”

“He’s an annoying and infuriating pain in the ass…but he’s **_MY_** _annoying_ and _infuriating_ _pain in the ass_ , even when he’s violating a bathroom and making ungodly sounds of despair…” 

[Originally posted by televandalist](https://tmblr.co/ZhFy1yi_MLPr)

It took a couple of hours to get Chris rung out and presentable, but Scott and I managed to corral him into the car and eventually into Caesar’s with very little trouble, much to my relief. The evening hour was growing late and once the shock and awe of walking into the multi room suite wore off, I went about organizing, needing to do something to help burn off nervous energy, but when I caught Chris attempting to sneak a peek at the contents of my garment bags for the fourth time, I threw my hands in the air and sent him and Scott down to the tables to get a moments peace and quiet.

“Where is it…? I _know_ I packed…” I muttered, digging through my luggage yet again for my foundation and not spotting the bottle.

“What are you looking for, babe? What’d you forget?”

Stopping in my tracks, I closed my eyes as I took a calming breath before answering Chris, who hadn’t left the suite apparently.

“My foundation.” I told him, turning from the luggage stand to head back into the en suite bathroom for one more scan where I found I’d forgotten to pack a sponge, eye lash glue as well and upon picking up my setting powder, spilled the entire container down the front of me and coated the surfaces of the bathroom.

“ ** _Motherfucker…_** ” I spat angrily before letting a frustrated growl rip through me as I threw the now empty container to the floor, feeling my emotions consume me as I lifted my hands to my face with a little sob.

“Hey… _it’s okay_ …it’s _completely okay_ , Katie…” Chris called, rushing into the small room to pull me into his body for reassurance as his lips pressed against my temple and his hands rubbed along my back and arms, telling me, “-it’s _just a jar_ …we can get you new stuff in the morning, _whatever you need_ …”

I stood there in the bathroom, crying into my hands while leaning against Chris, the gravity of the final sprint to the finish line suddenly overwhelming me and before I knew it, I felt his arms tighten around me, lifting me to walk us both back to the bed where Chris sat me on the mattress; sinking down to a crouched position in front of my legs, I felt his hands on my knees as he spoke softly, calling to me, asking, “Baby, _what’s wrong_?”

“We’re getting married…” I stated, and his face broke into a wide smile before he sent a casual smirk up at me.

[Originally posted by beardedchrisevans](https://tmblr.co/ZPvpor2KJJ6Yy)

“ _Yeah_ …we are…”

“We’re _getting married_ in a ** _matter of hours_** …” I went on, feeling my head grow lite and a sudden weight set on my chest as my heart started beating really fast and I was on the verge of an anxiety attack taking hold of me. “It all just kind of hit me… _ **we’re getting married**_. It’s _finally_ here…it just got _really **REAL**_.”

“ _Cold feet?_ ” Chris asked, concerned.

“ **Overwhelmed** … **a nervous wreck** … **on the edge of a mental breakdown** … ** _yes_**.” I explained, looking deep into his worried eyes with a small and tired smile, adding, “But **cold feet**? **_No_** …just me, _freaking out a little bit_. It’s been one hell of a whirlwind few months, and these last few weeks have been rough, and now the day’s _**finally**_ here…”

“ _Ya know_ -” Chris chuckled, pushing my legs open to allow him to scoot closer to me, his hands gripping my hips while he leveled me with an amused expression, admitting, “- ** _I_** had a little moment of _this_ …-” his hands squeezed me gently to emphasize the way I felt was something viable, “-the feeling of shit getting **_really real_** and needing to come to terms with what’s about to happen…I had that happen to me when I was talking to the jeweler and designing your ring. You can ask Josh…I was sitting in a chair in the back room of one of the best jewelry stores in Boston, with the mock up of your ring staring me down with a hand over my mouth when I was trying on wedding bands myself.”

“ _Really?_ ” I asked softly, feeling the weight sitting squarely on my chest and wrapping around my throat ease up as I heard Chris tell me he had been in the exact same position as I was currently. “So I’m **not** just overly emotional and hormonal and crazy?”

“ _Oh, no_ … _ **you are**_.” He grinned, joking but my shove to his shoulder had him explaining on a laugh, “You’re allowed to be **all** those things, because this is a _big step_ that _neither_ of us has _ever_ experienced before, but you _**aren’t** crazy_ …I think everybody that reaches _this_ point feels _all those things_ , the night before they say ‘I do’… _look at me_ , I went out and got drunk off my ass earlier, but _now_ …my stomach is a knot of nerves and it’s _not_ from drinking too much. I don’t have butterflies in my stomach, I’ve got fahking _elephants tap dancing_ in there…”

“Chris…” I called, making him cock his head to the right ever so slightly, prompting me to go on as I lifted a hand to cradle his face, “I know I told you to go play cards, but… _will you stay in with me tonight_? Maybe we order room service and just chill, enjoy the calm before the storm tomorrow?”

He nodded, offering me a lopsided grin.

[Originally posted by ncoleys](https://tmblr.co/ZelJQk2FLNwPh)

“Mr. Chow and chill, I was just going to suggest that…why don’t you take a minute to catch your breath, finish up what you were doing before…jump in the shower and I’m gonna call in our order and let Scott know I’m not coming downstairs. Then we can relax, okay?”

“Okay.” I agreed, holding his face between my hands to kiss him tenderly. Leaning back, I watched him, “I love you, you know that? You truly are something else.”

“So are you.” He answered, leaning forward for another peck of his lips to mine. “And try to _calm down_ …don’t stress, we’re doing _this…_ eloping to avoid that, remember? Everything will work out and be fine tomorrow, just take it one moment at a time, and remember to breathe…and if you get overwhelmed, I’m right here. Always, babe.”


End file.
